BIB mini-build log and a question on finishing [big pictures, 56K be warned]

Nothing that impressive, just figured I'd throw up some pictures of my latest build...homes for my Fostex Sigs.

That one's going to need some sanding work, didn't come out as square as I wanted

Anyway, my question is about finishing them. I'm thinking about using 1" oak corner pieces to cover the nasty edges of the plywood, and using oak to make the suprabaffle...figure it'll give it some contrast with the light ply. What finish would be a good choice to cover both the ply and the oak, and still look good? Tung oil? Some sort of poly finish? Should I finish the ply and the dark trim seperately?

__________________JimThe machine does not isolate us from the great problems of nature but plunges us more deeply into them. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

I've used Danish oil a lot, you can vary the finish by number of coats and how you apply it, no runs, no brush marks, waterproof when dry, IMO one of the easiest finishes to apply.
Walnut would look nice with the light ply.

Originally posted by Glowbug Nothing that impressive, just figured I'd throw up some pictures of my latest build...homes for my Fostex Sigs.

That one's going to need some sanding work, didn't come out as square as I wanted

Anyway, my question is about finishing them. I'm thinking about using 1" oak corner pieces to cover the nasty edges of the plywood, and using oak to make the suprabaffle...figure it'll give it some contrast with the light ply. What finish would be a good choice to cover both the ply and the oak, and still look good? Tung oil? Some sort of poly finish? Should I finish the ply and the dark trim seperately?

looks good to me, it is difficult to get these things square, especially without a table saw. Good idea to get the different finish on the ply and trim. I find it easy to preview the finish on sketchup if u know how to use it.

Glad to hear we all have similar problems with squareness, and lack of table saw. I realy want one, its just having the room, but I am begining to think these larger builds need one.

Another finish I havn't mentioned is Rustins Plastic Coating, this can be thinned and applied like Danish or Tung oil, and dries solid, is kid proof, and finish can be varied from mattish to polished depending how you rub it down.

Have had the same issue with squareness. If you try to get the sides to overlap just a bit, use a router with a laminate flush trim bit, squares up the edges very nicely. Walnut stain looks very nice on the light ply.

It's a good idea to do some sanding and finishing before attaching a dark trim wood to the light plywood box. Otherwise, sanding the dark trim when it is already installed on the light plywood can dis-colour the plywood.

The easiest approach is:
1) sand the trim and apply one or more coats of finish.
2 ) sand the plywood box to the point that it is ready to finish. If you are going to stain it, do so now. If you are using a combined stain / protective coat (e.g., tinted oil or varnish) and want to attach the trim first, then apply multiple finish coats to the trim before you attach it.
3) attach the trim to the plywood box. Try to avoid any glue squeeze-out, particularly if the plywood box is still unfinished, as it will prevent absorption of stain. You can get rid of squeeze-out by wiping it up with a damp cloth while the glue is liquid, but this can smear the glue around. The other technique is to let the glue harden to a firm rubbery consistency, then peel it up carefully with a chisel or knife.
If you pre-finish the plywood, mask off most of where the trim will be attached so you can still get a good glue joint. I.e., if your trim is 3/4"wide, use masking tape to cover a 5/8" strip. That gives plenty of glue area, and ensures that unfinished plywood doesn't show beside the trim.
4) Attach the finished or partly finished trim, and finish the box. If you get the stain or finish you are using on the trim, just wipe it off right away. Because the trim is darker any stain from the box won't show up much anyway.

Oak is actually a more difficult wood to work with. I would go with Walnut for ease and a nice contrast.

If you don't have a tablesaw, consider making a Sawboard. I'm still trying to figure out a way to make a jig so that I can do repeatable cuts using one. It may require making a Panel Cutting Table as well. Even without it, you can come very close using the sawboard.

Finally, I am in the process of completing a pair of Metronomes. I am using a biscuit joiner for lining things up. All I can say is... Wow, glue up is going to be so easy!!! The biscuits are snug enough that I am able to dry fit all the parts and stand up the cabinet without it falling apart. The edges are perfectly aligned. There will be no need to square or trim with a router. They are a little more work in the preparation, but well worth it.

Mine are not square either. To get them standing straight i used something like in the link above that i found at the local hardware store. This way they can be made perfectly straight. Basically, i made an adjustable base for each BIB and attached it to their bottoms.

Wow, I thought I was the only one who had a problem making things square. It is good to know I'm not. I have just been using my skill saw and taking forever to clamp a guide to make it as straight as I can, but my wife recently bought me a table saw for my birthday so hopefully it will al become easier.

I know MDF is not the best material but it is the only affordable way for me to build several different enclosures to get an impression of what I like best. With my table saw I am really excited to pump them out. Later today I am working on a BIB for Fostex fe126e drivers tuned to 60hz using the BIB calculator.

I made the smaller cuts with a table saw, but I had Lowe's rip it for the first few, I don't have a set of rollers so handling a full sheet of ply by myself wouldn't have been very good...just something to put in before the next build

Anyway, you guys think a flush trim bit would work to trim down the overlap?

__________________JimThe machine does not isolate us from the great problems of nature but plunges us more deeply into them. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry